Oregon seeks $148K fine for firm blamed of jury duty firing

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A state agency has proposed more than $148,000 in penalties for an Oregon company after an employee claimed she was fired for missing work for jury duty.

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries found that Navex Global had violated state laws that require employers to excuse workers for jury service, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .

Sharae Epperheimer filed a complaint with the bureau after she was fired in 2016.

Epperheimer lived in Oregon, but she had maintained residency in California. She was called for jury duty in the Los Angeles area, and the county had refused her requests to be excused, according to the bureau.

The company did not document any other performance issues before firing Epperheimer, according to the bureau.

The company has denied the allegation, saying its policies allow employees to miss work for jury duty. The company also continues to pay employees during their jury service, the company said in a statement.

“We stand behind the strength and fairness of our human resources policies and integrity of our decisions associated with employment matters,” the statement said. “We vehemently challenge the finding and will appeal this decision.”

The company said it could not comment further on the case.

Navex Global, which is headquartered in Lake Oswego, sells technology and services to help organizations comply with government regulations.

The bureau proposed penalties of $120,000 for Epperheimer’s emotional damages and more than $28,000 for her lost wages and expenses.